Premiership of Keir Starmer

This article is about Keir Starmer's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. For the people in his ministry, see Starmer ministry.

Official portrait, 2024
Premiership of Keir Starmer 5 July 2024 – present
Monarch	Charles III
Cabinet	Starmer ministry
Party	Labour
Election	2024
Seat	10 Downing Street
Coat of Arms of His Majesty's Government

Keir Starmer's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 5 July 2024 when he accepted an invitation from King Charles III to form a government, succeeding Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party. As prime minister, Starmer is serving concurrently as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union.

Starmer, who has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2020, was appointed prime minister after the Labour Party had won a landslide victory at the 2024 general election, ending fourteen years of Conservative governance and with the smallest share of the electoral vote of any majority government since record-keeping of the popular vote began in 1830.

Under Starmer's premiership, the government has ended certain winter fuel payments for around 10 million people, implemented an early-release scheme for thousands of prisoners to decrease prison overcrowding, and settled a number of public sector strikes. Starmer has announced a Border Security Command in replacement of the Rwanda asylum plan and a National Violent Disorder Programme to the 2024 riots, as well as reforms to workers' rights. On foreign policy Starmer has supported Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel in the Israel-Hamas war.

Background

Labour leadership bid

Main article: 2020 Labour Party leadership election (UK)

On 4 January 2020, Keir Starmer announced his candidacy for the Labour Party leadership election. By 8 January, it was reported that he had gained enough nominations from Labour MPs and MEPs to get onto the ballot paper, and that the trade union Unison was backing him. Unison, with 1.3 million members, said Starmer was the best placed candidate to unite the party and regain public trust. He also gained support from former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

During the leadership election, Starmer ran a left-wing platform. He positioned himself in opposition to austerity, stating that the outgoing leader Jeremy Corbyn was "right" to position Labour as the "party of anti-austerity". He indicated he would continue with the Labour policy of scrapping tuition fees as well as pledging "common ownership" of rail, mail, energy and water companies and called for ending outsourcing in the NHS, local governments and the justice system. Starmer was announced as the winner of the leadership contest on 4 April 2020, defeating rivals Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy, with 56.2% of the vote in the first round. As Leader of the Opposition, contrary to his leadership campaign, he moved the party toward the political centre, and also emphasised the project of eliminating antisemitism within the party. In 2023, Starmer set out five missions for his government, targeting issues such as economic growth, health, clean energy, crime and education.

2024 general election

Main article: 2024 United Kingdom general election

On 22 May 2024, Rishi Sunak unexpectedly announced that a general election would be held on 4 July 2024. Labour entered the general election with a large lead over the Conservative Party in opinion polls, and the potential scale of the party's victory was a topic of discussion during the campaign period. In June 2024, Starmer released the Labour Party manifesto Change, which focuses on economic growth, planning system reforms, infrastructure, what Starmer describes as "clean energy", healthcare, education, childcare, and strengthening workers' rights. It pledges a new publicly owned energy company (Great British Energy), a "Green Prosperity Plan", reducing patient waiting times in the NHS, and renationalisation of the railway network (Great British Railways). It includes wealth creation and "pro-business and pro-worker" policies. The manifesto also pledged to give votes to 16 year olds, reform the House of Lords, and to tax private schools, with money generated going into improving state education.

In July 2024, Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory in the general election, ending fourteen years of Conservative government with Labour becoming the largest party in the House of Commons. Labour achieved a 174-seat simple majority and a total of 411 seats, the party's third-best result in terms of seat share following the 1997 and 2001 general elections. The party became the largest in England for the first time since 2005, in Scotland for the first time since 2010, and retained its status as the largest party in Wales.

In his victory speech, Starmer thanked party workers for their hard work – including nearly five years of revamping and rebranding Labour in the face of Conservative dominance – and urged them to savour the moment, but warned them of challenges ahead and pledged his government would work for "national renewal":

We did it! You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it and now it has arrived. Change begins now. And it feels good, I have to be honest. Four-and-a-half years of work changing the party. This is what it is for – a changed Labour Party ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people. And across our country people will be waking up to the news, relieved that a weight has been lifted, a burden finally removed from the shoulders of this great nation. And now we can look forward. Walk into the morning, the sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day, shining once again, on a country with the opportunity after 14 years to get its future back. We said we would end the chaos and we will. We said we would turn the page and we have. Today we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.

Premiership

Appointment as Prime Minister

Starmer giving his first speech as prime minister at 10 Downing Street, 5 July 2024

As the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons, Starmer was appointed as prime minister by King Charles III on 5 July 2024, becoming the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown, the first one to win a general election since Tony Blair, and the first Labour government formed during the reign of Charles III. He and his wife Victoria Starmer were driven from Buckingham Palace to Downing Street. Starmer stopped the car on the way back from the palace and went on a walkabout outside Downing Street to meet cheering crowds. In his first speech as prime minister, Starmer paid tribute to the previous prime minister Rishi Sunak, saying "His achievement as the first British Asian Prime Minister of our country should not be underestimated by anyone," and also recognised "the dedication and hard work he brought to his leadership" but said that the people of Britain had voted for change:

You have given us a clear mandate, and we will use it to deliver change. To restore service and respect to politics, end the era of noisy performance, tread more lightly on your lives, and unite our country. Four nations, standing together again, facing down, as we have so often in our past, the challenges of an insecure world. Committed to a calm and patient rebuilding. So with respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal. Our work is urgent and we begin it today.

State Opening of Parliament

The 2024 State Opening of Parliament outlined 39 pieces of legislation that Labour proposed to introduced in the months ahead, including bills to renationalise the railways, to strengthen the rights of workers, tackle illegal immigration, reform the House of Lords, and undertake a programme to speed up the delivery of "high quality infrastructure" and housing. In addition, a number of bills proposed by Sunak's Conservative administration were also included, notably the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which had appeared in the 2023 King's Speech, but had been abandoned after the election was called.

Bills

• The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill enabling the government to renationalise the railways.
• The Railways Bill to establish Great British Railways, a body overseeing the rail network.
• The Better Buses Bill allowing greater scope for local government to take over the running of bus services.
• The High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill to enable powers to improve rail services in northern England.
• The English Devolution Bill to facilitate the devolvement of power to elected mayors of combined authorities.
• Reform of the House of Lords. Two separate bills: to phase out the remaining hereditary peers in the House of Lords (House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill), and to increase the number of female bishops in the House (Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill).
• The Budget Responsibility Bill requiring an official budget forecast to take place ahead of a government budget. Given royal assent on 10 September 2024.
• The Pension Schemes Bill introducing new rules and requirements for private sector pension schemes.
• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill to simplify the approval process for critical infrastructure, and update compulsory purchase rules.
• The Renters' Rights Bill banning no-fault evictions and extending building safety requirements to the private sector.
• The Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill curbing ground rent costs and banning forfeiture.
• The Great British Energy Bill to establish GB Energy, a state owned energy investment and generation company.
• The National Wealth Fund Bill establishing a £7.3bn fund to be invested over five years in infrastructure and green industry.
• The Water (Special Measures) Bill giving the water regulator Ofwat greater powers to prevent water company bosses from receiving bonuses, and to make water company bosses liable for any illegal activity.
• The Crime and Policing Bill to give police greater powers to deal with antisocial behaviour. The bill will also make assaulting retail workers a specific offence.
• The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill to require venues to establish procedures for dealing with terrorist threats, enacting Martyn's Law.
• The Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill requiring offenders to attend sentencing hearings and removing parental rights from convicted sex offenders.
• The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill enabling police to use anti-terrorism laws to tackle gangs who smuggle asylum seekers to the UK.
• The Employment Rights Bill introducing a number new rights for workers, and banning the "exploitative" use of zero hour contracts.
• The Equality (Race and Disability) Bill extending the right to make a claim for equal pay under the Equality Act to people from ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
• The Tobacco and Vapes Bill to bring in a phased ban on smoking.
• The Mental Health Bill to tighten rules on sectioning people, and change the rules on care for people with learning difficulties.
• The Children's Wellbeing Bill requiring local authorities to keep a register of children not in full time education at school, and establish breakfast clubs for all primary schools in England.
• The Skills England Bill to establish a public body to improve and devolve skills training.
• The Conversion Practices Bill restricting "abusive" practices designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
• The Digital Information and Smart Data Bill enabling people to use a digital ID to buy age-restricted content and for pre-employment checks.
• The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill establishing new rules to protect critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.
• Hillsborough law: A piece of legislation requiring public servants to be truthful during public inquiries.
• A bill allowing the Crown Estate to borrow from the government in order to invest in new infrastructure projects.
• The Football Governance Bill to establish a regulator for the top five tiers of English football.
• A bill to establish an Armed Forces Commissioner with powers to inspect faulty kit and equipment.

Skills England is a new government agency that will be created by the Skills England Bill. The agency will increase flexibility within the skills training area, to properly cater for skills shortages within regional economies, and to ensure the UK trains its own workforce. Starmer launched a Child Poverty Taskforce, in which expert officials from across government would work together on how best to support more than four-million children living in poverty.

Domestic affairs

Starmer went on a tour of the four countries of the UK and met with the leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar, and also met with First Minister of Scotland John Swinney at the official residence of the First Minister, Bute House. He also met with mayors including Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan. On 18 July 2024, Starmer chaired the 4th European Political Community Summit. On 24 July 2024, Starmer attended his first Prime Minister's Questions.

Immigration

Main article: Border Security Command

One of Starmer's first acts as prime minister was cancelling the controversial Rwanda asylum plan, claiming it to be "dead and buried." Home secretary Yvette Cooper started setting out the first steps towards establishing a Border Security Command, to tackle smuggling gangs which facilitate illegal migrant crossings over the English Channel. The command would be funded by money previously earmarked for the Rwanda plan and would be responsible for coordinating the activities of Immigration Enforcement, MI5, the Border Force and the National Crime Agency in tackling smuggling gangs which facilitate illegal migrant crossings over the English Channel.

The new office of Border Security Commander was also established, whose remit would be to lead the new command and its members, with the government expecting the appointment of the first officeholder to be made in the coming weeks. A team in the Home Office was tasked with setting out the remit of the command, as well as its governance structure and its strategic direction.

Economy

Main article: Chancellorship of Rachel Reeves

Starmer with his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, 6 July 2024

Starmer strongly favours green policies to tackle climate change and decarbonise the British economy. He has committed to eliminate fossil fuels from the UK electricity grid by 2030. In 2021, Starmer and Rachel Reeves pledged that a Labour government would invest an extra £28 billion a year in green industries; in June 2023 this was changed to £28 billion per year by the middle of their first term of government.

Since 2022, Reeves has adhered to "modern supply-side economics", an economic policy which focuses on infrastructure, education and labour supply by rejecting tax cuts and deregulation. In May 2023, Reeves coined the term "securonomics" to refer to her version of this economic policy, originally in a public address at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. It is heavily inspired by US president Joe Biden's economic policy, particularly his Inflation Reduction Act.

Securonomics is based on the belief that globalisation has failed to achieve its stated aims and that economies in the Western world must adapt in response. It would involve a productivist "active state" taking a more active role in managing the free-market economy, boosting production and drawing up industrial policy, stronger supply chains, and more economic cooperation with international allies with similar economic goals. Reeves believes that the active state is part of an "emerging global consensus" led by Biden's administration which will replace the neoliberal economic consensus, and that economic policy must be driven by the need for security.

On taking office as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Reeves stated that since there is "not a huge amount of money" her focus will be on "unlocking" private-sector investment, as she believes "private-sector investment is the lifeblood of a successful economy." She made her first statement as Chancellor two days later, announcing measures to grow the economy. On 29 July 2024, Reeves conducted a spending review, arguing there was a need to make "necessary and urgent decisions" because of an "unfunded" and "undisclosed" overspending of £21.9bn by the previous Conservative government. Among the decisions she made were to axe winter fuel payments for pensioners not receiving pension credit (roughly around 10 million people), which received widespread criticism. She also announced the cancellation of several infrastructure projects, and selling surplus public sector buildings and land. Reeves also announced her first budget would be released on 30 October 2024.

Budget

Reeves holding the red box

The October 2024 United Kingdom budget was presented to the House of Commons by Reeves on 30 October 2024. In the budget, she announced tax rises worth £40 billion, the biggest tax rise at a budget since 1993. Amongst the measures she announced were an increase in employers' National Insurance to 15% on salaries above £5,000 from April 2025, income tax thresholds to rise in-line with inflation after 2028, changes to farm inheritance tax meaning that the inheritance tax of 20% would effectively apply to rural estates above the value of £1,000,000 from April 2026, and a rise in the single bus fare cap to £3 from January 2025. The OBR forecast that the budget would mean the tax burden would be set to its highest ever level in recorded history. The director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Johnson, accused Reeves of further undermining trust in politicians. Reeves later said that it was not a budget she would want to repeat, and accepted that the tax rises would likely hit wage growth for workers.

The main budget points presented were:

• The budget involved £40bn of tax rises from 2025 and £70bn over the next 3 years to allow more spending and investment over the next 3 years.
• It was announced 2 days before that the minimum wage is to rise by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour. This was confirmed in the budget.
• The chancellor promised to respect the OBR's forecasts and invest in the UK's economy.
• More investment in Skills England.
• Money allocated for compensation of the victims of the British Post Office scandal and the infected blood scandal.
• Setting up a probe into COVID-19 related corruption and fraud.
• Setting up a 'budget value for money board' to curb poor fiscal delivery and value for money on government projects.
• Carers will be able earn up to £10,000 without losing Carer's Allowance.
• Miners' pensions to rise by 2.5%.
• Pension credits to rise by 4.5%.
• Fuel duty will be frozen.
• Employees NICs will not rise.
• Employers' NICs will rise by 1.2% to 15% and the threshold fall from £9,100 to £5,000.
• Headline income tax will rise in line with inflation.
• Employment allowance rises from £5,000 to £10,500.
• The inheritance tax threshold would be frozen for two more years.
• The first £1,000,000 of business and farm assets would be untaxed.
• A vaping tax would come in.
• Vehicle Excise Duty would be adjusted to favour electric vehicles.
• Air Passenger Duty will increase dependent on flight class and length.
• Retail, hospitality and leisure industry will see business rates fall in 2026.
• Alcohol duty on draught drinks will be cut by 1p.
• Corporation tax stayed at 25%.
• The non-domicile tax regime ends in 2025.
• The small business tax multiplier will be frozen.
• Second home stamp duty rose from 3% to 5%.
• The 100% energy investment allowance and the decarbonisation relief would remain.
• Private schools business relief will end in April 2025 and VAT would be charged on their fees from January 2025.
• Income tax thresholds will rise with inflation.
• Breakfast club funding will rise by 300%.
• Schools budget rises over the next four years.
• £300m will go to further and higher education.
• Tobacco duty would rise.
• £2.5bn more spending for defence.
• The bus fare single ticket cap rose from £2 to £3.
• £6.5bn more spending on schools.
• £2m Jewish holocaust education fund was set up.
• Greater Manchester and West Midlands county would get further local fiscal autonomy.
• Low value shoplifting will become a crime.
• £25m will be used to maintain closed Welsh coal mines.
• £4.5bn to Scottish, £.1.7bn to Welsh and £.1.2bn to the N. Irish assemblies.
• National debt was forecast to fall.
• £1b for the UK's aviation industry.
• More and better rural broadband internet.
• £5bn on more housing.
• £2bn for the UK's automotive industry.
• £1.4bn on repeating failed repair work on dilapidated and "crumbling old schools" and repairing others for the fist time.
• More money for the N.W. English authority.
• More money for and tax relief for the UK's TV and movie special effects industry.
• £20bn for UK R&D.
• Rail ticket price rises would not exceed 4.6% of current prices.
• The TransPennine Rail Upgrade would occur.
• £650m will be given to fund local transport.
• £550m more to be spent on road maintenance and filling in 1m road potholes.
• UK carbon capture projects would get more funding.
• More funding would be given to green hydrogen and blue hydrogen projects across the UK.
• £3.4bn will be put in to the UK's Warm Homes Fund.
• £22.6bn will be given to healthcare.
• Fund 40,000 new medical appointments would be funded to help cut waiting lists to 18 weeks.
• £1.3bn more funding for the South Yorkshire Combined Authority Leader to spend on improving and renovating Sheffield's part of the South Yorkshire Supertram.
• £3bn in war aid to Ukraine.
• Creation of Great British Energy confirmed, to be headquartered in Aberdeen.

Early release of prisoners

Starmer gives his Inheritance speech in the garden of 10 Downing Street, 27 August 2024

Shortly after taking office, Starmer said that there were "too many prisoners", and described the previous government as having acted with "almost beyond recklessness". In order to manage the prison overcrowding, his Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced the implementation of an early release scheme which allowed for prisoners in England and Wales to be released after serving 40% of their sentences rather than the 50% previously introduced under the last government. Over 1,700 prisoners were released in September, with further releases expected in the following year. One prisoner released early under the scheme was charged with sexual assault relating to an alleged offence against a woman on the same day he was freed. Starmer has defended the releasing of prisoners, and accused the previous government of having "broke the prison system."

Two-child benefit cap

Starmer and Reeves have refused to scrap the benefit cap introduced by the Cameron–Clegg coalition, citing financial reasons. The cap was introduced in 2013 as part of the coalition government's wide-reaching welfare reform agenda which included the introduction of Universal Credit and reforms of housing benefit and disability benefits. Starmer's government cited wide public support for the measure, despite it being highly controversial. The benefit cap primarily affects families with children, high rents, or both. By 2024, the year Starmer and Reeves entered government, two-thirds of the families affected by the cap were single-parent families, half of which had a child under five.

On 23 July 2024, Labour withdrew the whip from 7 of its MPs who had supported an amendment tabled by the Scottish National Party (SNP)'s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn to scrap it, with Flynn stating that scrapping the cap would immediately raise 300,000 children out of poverty. MPs rejected the SNP amendment by 363 votes to 103. The seven Labour MPs suspended for six months were John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Imran Hussain, Apsana Begum and Zarah Sultana, all of whom now sit as independents. Starmer launched a Child Poverty Taskforce, in which expert officials from across government would work together on how best to support more than four-million children living in poverty.

Winter fuel payment abolition backlash

Main article: Winter fuel payment abolition backlash

The government's decision on 29 July 2024 to abolish the winter fuel payment for all but the poorest pensioners gave rise to a significant backlash. Negative reaction came from Labour MPs, opposition MPs, trade unions, pensioner organisations, and the general public.

On 5 September 2024, Starmer conceded to demands and promised a binding vote in the Commons on whether the changes to the fuel payment would be implemented. The motion was debated on 10 September, and in the vote that followed, 348 MPs backed the government and 228 supported the motion. With a majority of 120 to the government, the policy will be implemented. A total of 52 Labour MPs, including 7 ministers, did not participate in the vote.

2024 England and Northern Ireland riots

Main articles: 2024 Southport stabbing and 2024 United Kingdom riots

Starmer speaks to the media following an earlier Cobra meeting to discuss the violent disorder across the country, 6 August 2024

On 29 July 2024, following a mass stabbing occurred at a dance studio in Southport in which three children were killed and ten other people were injured, Starmer described the stabbing as horrendous and shocking and thanked emergency services for their swift response. He visited Southport and laid flowers at the scene, where he was heckled by some members of the public. Starmer later wrote amid the riots that those who had "hijacked the vigil for the victims" had "insulted the community as it grieves" and that rioters would feel the full force of the law. On 1 August, and following a meeting with senior police officers, Starmer announced the establishment of a national violent disorder programme to facilitate greater cooperation between police forces when dealing with violent disorder. On 4 August, Starmer said that rioters "will feel the full force of the law" and told them "You will regret taking part in this, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves". He added "I won't shy away from calling it what it is – far-right thuggery". Starmer later called an emergency response meeting of Cobra. After the COBRA meeting he announced the establishment of a "standing army" of specialist police officers to address the ongoing violence, and help bring it to an end.

Starmer faced criticism for his response to the riots, including by Twitter owner Elon Musk, for not condemning all sides and only focusing on the far-right. Musk had tweeted that "Civil war is inevitable", his comments were condemned by Starmer's official spokesman. Musk went on to refer to the Prime Minister as "two-tier Keir" and ask, "Why aren't all communities protected in Britain?", and called government "woke stasi". Starmer rejected calls from some politicians, including Nigel Farage and Priti Patel, to recall the Westminster parliament. Farage condemned the violence, stating: "The levels of intimidation and threat to life have no place in a functioning democracy". He called for Parliament to be recalled over the riots and suggested there was a widespread impression of "two-tier policing" as a result of "soft policing" during Black Lives Matter protests, which he said contributed to a "sense of injustice". Patel called Farage's comments deeply misleading and "simply not relevant right now". She told Times Radio: "There's a clear difference between effectively blocking streets or roads being closed to burning down libraries, hotels, food banks and attacking places of worship. What we have seen is thuggery, violence, racism." Patel also wrote to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, asking them to recall parliament.

Tobacco and vapes

On 5 November 2024, the UK government introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill saying they hope it will reduce smoking harm, including phasing out tobacco sales for those under 15 and tightening vape regulations.

Acceptance of gifts and hospitality

Main article: 2024 Labour Party freebies controversy

Waheed Alli, Baron Alli pictured in 2010

On 24 August 2024, The Times reported that, shortly after Starmer became the prime minister, Waheed Alli, Baron Alli, Starmer's biggest personal donor, had been given a security pass. The pass gave Alli unrestricted access to Downing Street, and he then hosted a party there for other Labour Party donors. This gave rise to suspicions of "cash for access" and claims of "cronyism".

On 15 September 2024, reports emerged in the British media that Starmer had initially failed to declare £5,000 of gifts used to purchase clothes for his wife, Victoria Starmer. The gifts had been given by Lord Alli, who had also given Starmer a number of clothing-related gifts, including £2,435 worth of eyeglasses, and had given Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner gifts worth £3,550 of clothes in June 2024.

It was subsequently reported that Starmer had accepted over £107,145 worth of gifts, benefits, and hospitality since the 2019 general election, including tickets to Arsenal F.C. matches and Taylor Swift concerts, two-and-a-half times more than any other MP. It was also reported that Health Secretary Wes Streeting had been gifted four Taylor Swift concert tickets, worth a total of £1,160, by The Football Association, and that Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves had accepted £7,500 worth of clothes in 2024 from Juliet Rosenfeld, which were registered as donations "to support the shadow chancellor's office".

On 17 September, 10 Downing Street announced that Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg would not investigate the gifts.

On Friday 20 September, as the 2024 Labour Party Conference was set to begin, Starmer as well as Reeves and Rayner announced they would no longer accept clothes from donors. That weekend, The Mail on Sunday reported that Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson had received a £14,000 gift from Alli for her 40th birthday party. Phillipson defended the gift, saying that it had been used "to get people together in a professional context" ahead of her birthday party and that it had been properly declared in the register of interests. Phillipson also admitted to accepting Taylor Swift concert tickets, saying that it was "hard to say no". When Alli was asked about the controversy at the Conference by a Sky News reporter, he stated that he didn't want to be asked about it, saying that the questions were "not very nice." That same weekend, Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell stated that the government had "no plans" to change the rules on MP accepting gifts.

Starmer subsequently admitted to accepting accommodation worth £20,000 from Lord Alli between May and July 2024, stating that the offer was for somewhere his son could study peacefully for his GCSEs. The exams that year finished in mid-June. Starmer's use of accommodation provided by Alli sparked further controversy when it was reported that a video calling for Brits to stay at home that Starmer had filmed in December 2021, during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, had been filmed in a flat belonging to Alli.

On 27 September, The Guardian reported that Starmer had received an additional £16,000 worth of clothes as a gift from Alli in late 2023 and early 2024. Although those gifts had been declared in time, they had been declared as money "for the private office" of Starmer, and not as clothing.

Assisted dying bill

Starmer is a longtime supporter of the campaign for assisted dying or doctor-assisted voluntary euthanasia in the UK. On 13 March 2024, Starmer pledged to give MPs a vote on assisted suicide if Labour won the 2024 general election, which they did. He phoned pro-assisted suicide campaigner Esther Rantzen and said to her: "I'm personally in favour of changing the law. I think we need to make time. We will make the commitment. Esther, I can give you that commitment right now... For people who are going through this or are likely to go through it in the next few months or years, this matters hugely and delay just prolongs the agony."

In September 2024, Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Spen Valley, was drawn first in the ballot for private members' bills. She announced on 3 October 2024 that she would introduce a bill on assisted dying, and on 16 October 2024, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced to the House of Commons. The full text of the bill (as presented for second reading) was published on 11 November 2024. Starmer acknowledged the vote for Leadbeater's bill as being "very important". Additionally, Starmer noted parliament's future intentions to strengthen NHS care for all needs, "including end-of-life care."

Parliamentary business

Following the general election, chairs and member of select committees are yet to be appointed. The House of Commons allocated which parties would hold each Chair in advance of the summer recess on 30 July 2024. Nominations for Chairs and memberships will run until 9 September, with ballots taking place on 11 September.

Foreign affairs

Main article: United Kingdom and the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Starmer with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, September 2024

The first foreign meeting that Starmer attended as prime minister was the 2024 NATO summit. On the flight to the summit, he laid out a "cast iron" commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, following a "root and branch" review of the UK's defences. In July 2024, Starmer and US President Joe Biden discussed their shared commitment to the Special Relationship and mutual support of Ukraine. Biden also congratulated Starmer on "a hell of a victory".

Starmer with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, July 2024

At the 2024 NATO summit, Starmer signaled that Ukraine could use Britain's Storm Shadow missile donations to strike military targets inside Russia. In a meeting with Zelensky, Starmer called for an "irreversible" membership strategy for Ukraine to join NATO.

Starmer and his wife Victoria boarding a plane for the 2024 NATO summit, 9 July 2024

In July 2024, Starmer told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the UK would continue its "vital cooperation to deter malign threats" with Israel.

Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Starmer tweeted "Political violence in any form has no place in our societies" and offered Donald Trump and his family his best wishes. He later deflected allegations from the Trump campaign that Labour had undertaken unlawful electoral interference by providing support to Kamala Harris' campaign, and had a meeting with Trump during the 79th session of the UN general assembly in New York. In November 2024, Starmer offered his congratulations to Trump on a phone call after he won the 2024 United States presidential election, along with other world leaders, saying "I look forward to working with you in the years ahead. I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come." Starmer also congratulated Trump on his victory in his first Prime Minister's Questions since the election result, where his previous criticism of Trump (stating in 2016 that he would not want to have Trump "round for dinner"), along with criticism made by David Lammy, was brought up by opposition leaders Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage.

In July 2024, Starmer pledged to take a tougher approach to China on human rights and security issues, including China's support for Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In November 2024, Starmer met Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and told him he wanted to build a 'consistent, durable, respectful' relationship with China. Starmer's foreign policy stance towards China appears to be one of cautious engagement, yet recent events raise questions about his effectiveness in standing up to Beijing. During a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit, British journalists were forcibly removed by Chinese officials as Starmer addressed human rights issues. This incident not only highlights the strained relations between the UK and China but also suggests a troubling vulnerability in Starmer's approach. His inability to protect the integrity of the press in such a critical diplomatic setting raises concerns about his strength and resolve in confronting China's authoritarian practices. The incident casts a shadow over his potential to navigate the complexities of UK-China relations effectively, indicating a perceived weakness in his foreign policy stance.

Ministry

Main article: Starmer ministry

Starmer attending his first Cabinet meeting, 6 July 2024

Starmer formed his government throughout 5–7 July, after his party won 411 seats in the 2024 general election, with the new Cabinet first meeting on 6 July and the new Parliament being called to meet on 9 July. It has been noted for its female political representation, appointing women to a record half of the Cabinet (including Rachel Reeves as the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer in British history) and three of the five top positions in the British government, including Angela Rayner as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Starmer also appointed three politically independent experts: scientist Patrick Vallance as Minister of State for Science, rehabilitation campaigner James Timpson as Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation, and international law expert Richard Hermer as Attorney General for England and Wales. The government includes a few ministers from the New Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including Hilary Benn, Yvette Cooper, David Lammy and Ed Miliband in the Cabinet, and Jacqui Smith and Douglas Alexander as junior ministers.

Changes

Changes from Starmer's final Shadow Cabinet to Cabinet.

• Thangam Debbonaire (Shadow Culture Secretary) lost her seat and Lisa Nandy was appointed in her place.
• Nandy's role (Shadow International Development Cabinet Minister) was a full member of Shadow Cabinet despite the department having merged into the Foreign Office under the previous government and not reformed by Starmer. Anneliese Dodds attends Cabinet as Minister of State for Development.
• Dodds served in Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary and party chair, and she is also the junior Minister of State for Women and Equalities, while Bridget Phillipson succeeds her as the senior Minister for Women and Equalities.
• Ellie Reeves (Deputy National Campaign Coordinator) was a member of Shadow Cabinet in her previous role that has no government counterpart, and was appointed to succeed Dodds' role as party chair and Minister without Portfolio outside Cabinet.
• Jonathan Ashworth (Shadow Paymaster General) lost his seat. Nick Thomas-Symonds (Shadow Minister without Portfolio) was appointed Minister for the Cabinet Office as well as Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations, but will not attend Cabinet.
• Emily Thornberry (Shadow Attorney General) was not appointed to Cabinet nor any junior ministerial role and returned to the backbenches. Richard Hermer was appointed Attorney General from outside parliament and will be given a life peerage to the House of Lords to serve.
• Hermer (Attorney General), Alan Campbell (Commons Chief Whip) and Darren Jones (Chief Secretary to the Treasury) merely attend Cabinet, roles that were full members of the Shadow Cabinet.
• The Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lords Chief Whip) was a member of Shadow Cabinet, but he was not appointed to Cabinet while remaining in the same role.

Departures

This is a list of departures from the Starmer ministry since forming a government on 6 July 2024.

Cabinet

Minister (Cabinet members shown in bold)		Office	Date of resignation	Reason
	Louise Haigh	Secretary of State for Transport	29 November 2024	Resigned after admitting she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence relating to misleading police in 2014

Non-ministerial appointments

Naae		Office	Date of resignation	Reason
	Sue Gray	Downing Street Chief of Staff	6 October 2024	Resigned amid intense commentary around her position

International prime ministerial trips

Main article: List of international prime ministerial trips made by Keir Starmer

Starmer with the US president Joe Biden at the White House, July 2024

Starmer has made fifteen international trips to thirteen countries during his premiership. As of 10 December 2024, the number of visits per country where Starmer travelled are:

• One: Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.
• Two: none.
• Three: France, Germany, United States.